The Forsworn have been bum-[censored] by the Direnni Hegemony, The Empire and the Nords. Jarl Igmund ordered a mass execution of the Forsworn and their families and Igmund sided with the Empire.

And a religious racewar that's been going on for centuries.

The Forsworn are an armed group. The Reachmen is the term for the indigenous population that has been forcibly incorporated into a dozen states and pushed down into a hated underclass on its own land.

Erm... no it doesn't.

It makes total sense for the Stormcloaks to invite the DRAGONBORN to join their cause, no matter what skin he/she is wearing. You forget that Nords believe in reincarnation and cognitive souls. They don't care and even relish the idea that the Dragonborn has come among them as a High Elf- they can use their worst enemy against them. They also enjoy delicious irony.

As a high elf, my character wants to join the Stormcloaks because she was sneaking into Skyrim for a reason. Remember that at the very beginning? She knows the answers she seeks are here, she's dreamt of this land since she was a child. It makes sense to her now, discovering she is Dragonborn. And even though these primitive Nords are xenophobic, she's using the Stormcloaks to beat back the Empire to their rightful place, which at this point in time is the greater threat. She'll defeat Alduin, and with that power and the people behind her, will command the Stormcloaks to change their treatment of elves and foreigners.

well we can complain about tne actual quests and pulling off the story lacking beef or alot of substance, but I think we can all agree they did a fantastic job on the backdrop. I think they did an awesome job on each faction giving both good and bad sides to each history and actions. Though I will agree im sad that no option to join the thalmor but morrowind and oblivion wouldnt let you join the 6th house or the mystic dawn as a faction either. Hopefully in the future tes games well have that option, bc I see us putting down the thalmor threat but not the ideals behind the movement.

I would join the Thalmor just to watch the world burn, because that is what some Men and Mer want.

At the same time, If they gave more work to the Civil War, and actual consequence, I would have joined Legion.

they won the reach, and the forsworn mutilate animals and work with hargraven...they're more like a violent cult than someone i'd want as neighbors. The nords aren't perfect, but i believe they are in teh right in the civil war.

That's the default unless you change it, just as imperial was default in Oblivion and Dunmer in Morrowind.

To the OP, the situation you refer to is only hypocritical if you see the Nords acting out of some sort of moral high ground- which doesn't exist in TES, as many have pointed out. The Stormcloaks want Nords in control of Skyrim, the empire wants the imperial government to be in control of that territory, and both of them fight the Forsworn for control of the Reach.

That's not ironic, it's a double standard.
It's certainly hypocritical, but it's not ironic.

Just saying.

To make matters better, the Foresworn do not want anyone in their lands at all. Only native Reachmen. They've been very antagonizing to everyone since forever.

They're the indigenous population. Everyone else moved in to antagonize them first.

I too freely admit that the Empire has a lot of problems. Even the Septim Empire had its large share of problems. The current Empire is still a better choice for my main character though.